Freezeless wall hydrants and faucets have long been in existence. They characteristically have a fluid closure valve located in the end of an inlet pipe located within the wall or a warmer interior area of the building of which the wall is a part. This closure valve is operated by an elongated rod connected to an exterior handle. The freezeless characteristics of the hydrant are caused by the closure valve shutting off the flow of water within the wall or building at a freezing temperature, with the residual water in the inlet pipe flowing by gravity outwardly through the conventional outlet drain of the hydrant.
The foregoing structure works very successfully except in situations where a hose or the like is attached to the outlet drain of the hydrant, whereupon the residual water is not able to easily flow by gravity out of the hydrant when the closure valve connected to the pressurized water is closed. With a hose attached during freezing weather, the residual water freezes within the hydrant, and the inlet pipe or related components thereupon rupture from the freezing conditions within the hydrant.
It has in recent times been recognized that the rupture of such a hydrant under freezing weather conditions does not take place because of the frozen water in the hydrant. Rather, the rupture results from the ice imposing severe pressure on the captivated non-frozen fluid in the inlet pipe. Thus, the increased pressure on this water by the expanded ice is the principal cause for the rupture of the hydrant.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of this invention to provide a freezeless wall hydrant which has the ability to relieve the pressure on the residual water located inwardly of frozen residual water located outwardly thereof when that water freezes by reason of a hose or the like being attached to the discharge nozzle.
A further object of the invention is to provide a freezeless wall hydrant which has the ability to relieve the pressure on residual water located inwardly of frozen residual water located outwardly thereof by means of an auxiliary passageway guarded by a check valve within the hydrant which will allow for the escape of residual water under pressure caused by icing conditions.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
A freezeless wall hydrant has a normally horizontal fluid inlet tube with an interior end and exterior end. A hollow valve fitting is rigidly secured to the interior end of the inlet tube for a connection to a source of pressurized fluid. A valve seat is located on an interior end of the valve fitting.
A head member is rigidly secured to the outer end of the inlet tube and includes a drain conduit in communication with an interior of the inlet tube for discharging water from the hydrant. A valve body is longitudinally movably mounted in the inlet tube adjacent to the valve fitting. A valve seating element is on the valve body and is adapted to engage and disengage the valve seat to prevent or to permit, respectively, a fluid flow through the valve fitting into the inlet tube.
An elongated hollow tube of a diameter less than the interior diameter of the inlet tube is positioned on the center line of the inlet tube and has inner and outer ends. A plug is rigidly secured to the inner end of the tube to close the inner end for fluid flow. The plug is connected to the valve body to rotate the valve body when the tube is rotated. A handle is connected to the outer end of the tube for rotating the same.
A valve seat surface is formed on the outer end of the plug and a fluid channel is associated with the plug to permit fluid to flow from the interior of the inlet tube to the valve seat surface. A check valve in the form of a piston or a ball is slidably or movable mounted in the tube and is adapted to engage the valve seat surface to normally prevent fluid flow through the plus into the tube. The plug is adapted to permit fluid flow into the tube when out of engagement with the valve seat surface.
A compression spring is in the tube and engages the check valve to normally hold the check valve in engagement with the valve seat surface.
An air conduit is associated with the tube for venting air from the interior of the tube to the atmosphere surrounding the tube when there is pressurized fluid pushing the check valve away from the valve seat surface.